sound cards +mics

[grace76]

I have a a great pc with tons of memory I have sonic foundry and acid pro installed .What I am wondering is what would be a good sound card to purchase for vocal tracks.I understand that they sometimes have other jacks for pre amps, and for mics and such but, I need some help, any help with the sound card. I assume (AND WE KNOW WHAT ASSUMING DOES ) that I can get a decent one for about 150 to 200 bucks. I have a cheap and I mean cheap (2.99)HiH -398 MIC. Basicly, I have no clue what I am doing and everything I have recorded sounds like SH*T! I was a late bloomer with relizing that I had a great singing voice so, it really bothers me. I was told that it was probably the sound card.
After reading and researching the issue of pc recording I have learned alot about analog to digital sound . Any advice wouls be appreciated!!!!!!

 

[pglewis]

What I am wondering is what would be a good sound card to purchase for vocal tracks.

A soundcard with good converters will be good for all applications, including vocals.

I understand that they sometimes have other jacks for pre amps, and for mics and such but, I need some help, any help with the sound card.

Others may disagree with me here, but I'm of the opinion that you'll get the best bang for your buck in a soundcard if you get one without mic preamps and buy a couple of channels of decent mic preamps seperately (assuming you'll only need to record a couple of tracks at any one time).

...that I can get a decent one for about 150 to 200 bucks.

You should be able to get a good 2 channel card in that price range... though 2 channels might limit you in the longer term. It'll definitely bottleneck you if you want to mic a drum kit, for example.

I was told that it was probably the sound card.

It sounds to me that the mic and whatever pre amp you're using is more likely the culprit for the sound. The converters on your average consumer card that comes with today's PCs aren't usually that great, but they're passable. If you're using the pre amp built-in to an average consumer soundcard, then that's probably the biggest contributer to the "sounds like shit" aspect.

A quality soundcard is definitely a step up, but in your case you might be better off spending some bucks on a decent mic/pre combo first. That might be enough to get you by for a bit while you save for a decent card as your next upgrade.

 

[grace76]

Re:SOUND CARDS AND MICS

Can you possibly recommend a brand for the mic combo?
and the sound card? I have looked at so many my head is still spinning!! Thankyou!!!

 

[pglewis]

Sorry, but I can't help ya out much there. I don't have enough experience with different mic's and pres to be a reliable source of info.

For mic'ing a guitar cab it's pretty easy to suggest an SM-57 and any number of pres. Not because it's always the best way to go, but I can almost guarantee you can get a decent sound that way.

For vocals it's a very personal thing. A mic/pre combo that works well for one person might not sound that great for another person's voice. For example, I've been fairly pleased with a lowly AKG C1000-s through mackie preamps for my voice, but I'm the ONLY one I know who's ever held that opinion.

A condenser is usually the preferred choice, but that doesn't narrow things down much. Best bet is to read a lot in the mic forum, look for a place with a liberal return policy, and try a few out and see what you think.

 

[damstraiht]

My set-up is as follows and works pretty good for a 'Starter' setup.

Oktava MK-219 Condenser Mic $80.00
Art Studio V3 Tube Pre-Amp $120.00 (a must to supply phantom power to your condenser mike w/o a mixer board)

You can also find the Art Tube MP Pre-Amp for around $70.00. The V3 has variable setting to record bass, acoustic, etc, so if you just need vocals then I'd go with the Art MP.


I have two good web site links for you here to read up on recording and mikes

http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

For mics
http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm

That link also has prices for various sound cards on the right hand side of the page. A good starter card would be an MAudio Delta 44 Digital Audio Sound Card 199.95. This has four input/outputs and will allow you to expand your set-up as you become more experienced.